


Pieces of the Sun

by orangememory



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 10:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 7,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10718028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangememory/pseuds/orangememory
Summary: A store of drabbles,short fics and other things my muse inspires me to do. Written in 2007.





	1. Chapter 1

**Morning, Noon & Night**

Pairing: Inuyasha/Sango

**Morning**

" _One, two, three…."_ she counts as she runs the comb through her hair. He watches her. He knows she hates tangles in her hair.

" _Five, six, seven…."_

But he loves the tangles in her hair. He likes running his claws through them in their moments of passion. He knew someone else who would count while brushing her hair too.

**Noon**

She sighs as she picks up the last remaining bottle of shampoo. Her store was running out even though she had scrimped her use of it. She blanched when she smelled her sweaty hair.

But he liked that smell. It reminded him of how strong she was, defending their village against demons. But another woman's picture came to mind and a teardrop fell from his eye.

**Night**

She applies jasmine oil to her hair to keep out the tangles. He smiles as he watches her, putting it ever so carefully. He is happy that after years of grieving and strife, there is some much-needed peace and happiness.

She sees him looking. She smiles. Just like the one he loved long ago.

"What's the matter, husband?"

He lays a gentle kiss on her brow. "You remind me about her."

"There are some people you can never forget, especially those close to your heart."

He holds her tightly in his arms. "Indeed, Sango, my love."


	2. Myriad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome dreams in Colours.

**Myriad**

She sees in colour. Her young brother zipping past, full of energy and life, is a bright shining blue.

But there, she sees a flash of blue and green. _A fox-child._

Is it a sliver of violet? _A smiling monk._

Or a beautiful tint of dark night on leather? _A woman_. _Who is she?_

She hears in colour. Her mother's laugh is a lush verdant green. She smiles. But then she hears a cold, harsh voice, the colour of poison and lifeless blood.

She smells in colour. The temple shrine smells of lavender incense, of prayers offered to the deity. Yet, the scent of rain on parched earth reminds her of the bright shining blue, leaves her feeling empty.

She dreams in colour. She wades through the colours of the rainbow, through the cerulean blues, misty greens, bold oranges, to reach the comforting reds. Gaudy violets, and gentle cream, hazy yellows and shimmering pinks. The golden colour of the Sun draws her deep inside, leading her to pure radiant silver. She doesn't notice the evil streak of grey caressing her, trapping her….

_Help me, please._ She is caught in her monotonic dream, never to arise again.

Then she sees the lavender, the blue, the black and the gold sun again.

_We'll protect you._

She wakes, sweat pouring down her face.

_Who are you?_

A tear drop falls across her cheek. The morning sun fills her room with light.

_Looks like I don't remember you. And don't want to remember you._


	3. Red and Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be. Inu/Kag

**RED AND GOLD**

A gentle breeze wafted through the city, bringing with it the scent of flowers. It's that time of the year when the trees drape a cloak anew. When leaves change colours and go to leaf heaven, if there is one. When children play with them and their laughter is sweeter than the nightingale's song. When leaves turn red and gold.

The old woman, with silvery hair watched her puppy-eared grandchildren play and tumble among the rustling leaves. It reminded her of her own times, when she would play with her brother. A time of fond memories….

Her husband came up to her and laid a kiss on her brow. He too had silver hair, but it was not from age. He still looked the same as he had fifty years ago. She smiled and brushed an errant leaf away.

She said," I like the fall. These red and gold leaves remind me of you."

He smiled. "Me too, mate."

Two souls, holding hands, walking along the path of life. Their hands may be gnarled, but their love is still young. Still eternal.

They say there is one thing more beautiful than young love. Old love.


	4. Remnants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sango settles down in domestic bliss. Or so it seems

**Remnants**

Cook. Clean. Wash. Care. For a man you don't love.

Bear children. Raise them. Love them. In a life you don't want to lead.

She's the wife of the village headman, the most respected woman in the village. Leads a mundane life.

He says, "Tomorrow a samurai lord will be passing through the village."

She smiles. Promises to lay out a delectable spread. Inside, she seethes. She hates life. Longs for excitement. But she is bound.

Dusk falls. She cleans before she sleeps. Outside, a large bone weapon falls into her sight. To be used gracefully in the battlefield. A boomerang, a carrier of death. Powerful. Deadly.

Memories of a loving brother. Lost to a vile demon. Of friends, who died too. A pet, her protector. A monk, a part of her soul. She still misses his gropes. Memories of a young woman's resolve.

She was born a woman, lived a taijiya and would die a woman, chained to domestic shackles.

Silently, she wields it once again. It cuts through the air with perfect precision.

A voice calls, asking for help. "Coming, dear." She goes.

The weapon lies still, covered in dust. The only remnant of her past.


	5. The Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sesshoumaru learns to miss someone.

**The Grave**

The wind roared .Snow-crested waves crashed into the sea-shore. A typhoon raged, blowing away the rooftops of houses, sending its inhabitants scurrying for cover. Even demons didn't dare venture out.

But one did.

A tall figure walked. He was not one to be afraid of the storm. The storm was to fear him. His cold eyes gazed into the distance, while the Zephyrs played with his moonlit hair. He reached his destination near the sea-shore.

He came here every day.

Golden eyes came to rest upon a line of graves. The furious crests pounded against the rocks, sending a spray of fine, cold mist into his face. Yet he remained unperturbed, looking at the last vestiges of a dried flower clinging onto a grave.

Some of the people buried here had been old. Some had been warriors. And some were too young, snatched away by the cruel hands of fate much before their time….

A tear quietly traced the fine stripes on his cheek. He wiped it away, seemingly surprised. He was showed no emotion.

The flower still clung to the grave. Just like he would hold on to her, forever. He had remained the same _. Beautiful. Immortal. Ageless_.

But she had passed her life like a flower. She was a bud, then she bloomed, and then she wilted into oblivion.

He walked away, his heart heavy. He was the man who had buried a daughter.


	6. The Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hojou wants to keep his girl.

**The Wait**

He had been in love with her forever. Since the first day of school. Since he was seven years old. He had watched her grow into an intelligent doe-eyed maiden from the shy little girl, who had been his playmate.

When she was nine, she cut her leg and he soothed her. When twelve, she was the Sleeping Beauty and he was her Prince. Now, they were teenagers. And his love had not waned. He tried to hold on to her, but she was drifting away. She always found excuses to refuse him. He knew she wanted to get away from him. But he would never let her part from him.

_Never. She has been mine alone, since the first day of school .I will not let another have her._

Hojou adjusted his collar and walked into the Higurashi shrine, bearing a gift of herbs.

She was surprised. Smiling, he said, "Kagome-chan, let me escort you to school today."


	7. Victor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody wins this war.

**Victor**

Wisps of light flail, they rise and they fall. Tangled together in broken whispers and promises, the beginning comes to and end. All that has started must come full-circle, but pain never finds place. All that has been will never be again. There are no survivors, much less their destinies. Swords and shattered weapons lie, not belying the ghosts of war.

Wars are fought to be won. But there is no victor and vanquished. Only tattered bits of human and demon souls, lost forever.

Time weaves itself around these fighters, becoming a legend. As long as legends live, the heroes do.

When they fade into ashes and dust, the pedestal is bereft of heroes. Time waits, to capture another in its quiet snare. And the unsuspecting victim waits for his chance to become immortal.

There are no heroes, only the living and the dead, those remembered and forgotten.

For in the end, all that remains are the thoughts of unspoken wishes, and blood-stained shards.

_Then time spins its web again….._


	8. Coincidences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are too many coincidences in her life. Inupapa X Sessmom, and an appearance by Shishinki.

**Coincidences**

She walked the cold hallways of the wooden fortress. It was nearing winter, and the chill had set in already. Servants bowed to her as she passed, dignifying her as the lady of the castle. She merely walked on, not paying any attention. After all, it was beneath her.

She entered the room, adorned with rich silken tapestries and elegant paintings.

Sniffing the air gently, she said, "Your inability still amuses me."

The dark figure gave a harsh laugh. "Why, my lady, you detected me. It relieves me that you at least know my scent."

"Do not bore me with your idle talk. I asked you to come earlier, for my husband has come back."

"So I hear. The news of Lord Inutaisho's conquests spread everywhere."

"Leave, now."

He came up to her and touches her face. "As you wish, my love. But remember, I shall have you one day."

"Don't presume too much."

"Don't worry; your husband shall meet his end soon, for _I_ am his worst nightmare."

With another inhuman laugh, the figure vanished.

**XXXXXXXX**

She gracefully started pouring sake into a bowl as her husband made his presence felt.

He accepted the cup and remarked, "He was here, wasn't he? "

"Yes, my lord."

"What a fool he is, playing right into my hands. Of course, I couldn't have done it without you. I'll destroy him. I'll be his worst nightmare."

"An interesting coincidence."

"Why?'

"He said the same thing too."


	9. Image

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is she- Kagome or Kikyou?

**Image**

They said she was her. _Her. And her._

They said that they were just like each other, brave, powerful, strong and pure.

And the one they loved, he was the same too.

The burning wind, the meddlesome brook, the foolish rain, they always troubled the woman who was Kikyou, but not- Kikyou.

She looked at all the people, kowtowing before her. Fear. Respect. Happiness. Emotions that only Kikyou could induce.

She was not Kikyou; she could never be like her. Kikyou was the loved one, the one waited for, for fifty years. And she would be the one waiting, forever.

Like a mirror reflects light, reflects your image back, they were one, the same. But the mirror reverses sides.

The mirror of life had changed, cold, worthy Kikyou into a warm, happy Kagome.

Kikyou was gone, and Kagome was there, always. She would be there, for everyone.

"You are just like her.", the evil one says. The line between her and _her_ is blurring.

There is no Kikyou. And yet there's no Kagome, too. Only a shadow of her remains.

She silently waits, hoping that Kikyou will be gone, erased from everyone's elephantine memory.

The old village woman enquires, "Tea, Kikyou-sama?" Kagome bursts into tears.

Even if an image, she is Kikyou, after all.


	10. Nothing is a cliche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terrible, horrible crack.

**Nothing is a Cliche**

"Asshole!" "Pig!"

"Nasty bitch!"

"Inuyasha! Kagome! Stop fighting! You have to act like a happy couple." screamed Sango. "The press conference is in thirty minutes."

"Why?"

"Because your fans want that!"

"Tell the smelly wench and her cold mates to keep away from me. She reeks of death."

"How dare you insult my Kanna and Kikyou? You dirty…." Kikyou, who was solemnly standing beside Kagome, drew her bow. "You shall not insult my mate."

"Mate? You've slept with everyone from Kouga to Kirara."

"You didn't mind that last week, did you?"

Sango was in tears. To add to her misery, Sesshoumaru and Naraku made their entrance.

Sesshoumaru was preening himself in his blue mini and fishnet stockings. Naraku was looking very happy in his Marilyn Monroe get-up, with a blonde wig, and scarlet lips and nails. And also in the famous white dress.

"Sess, you are not a slut."

"But Sango, Nara-baby said…

"Naraku, out…of that dress!"

"But Sesshy-poo likes….

"NOW!" glared Sango.

"Here come my bitches!" Inuyasha grinned.

Jaken came and rubbed himself against Inuyasha seductively. "Anything I can do, master?"

"Mmmm…"

"It's my turn tonight." purred Jakotsu.

Sango exploded. "Inuyasha! Kagome! Naraku! Get that lipstick off! Stop snogging, Kikyou…"

She collapsed into a chair. Miroku came in with a cup of coffee.

"My saviour!" Sango said, taking the cup. "I'm going insane."

"And they call me a pervert." said Miroku, his hand invariably straying to Sango's derriere.

"Houshi- Samaaaaaaaa….." WHACK!

After making sure the houshi was out cold, Sango made an announcement.

"Good, are we ready to go?" Everyone mutely nodded.

"Why am I stuck with you?" Inuyasha snarled at Kagome.

"Because it's a fandom cliché."


	11. The Weight of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sango waits for the winter to return her lover to her.

**The Weight of Winter**

She always waited for the winter. Unusual, maybe. She would wait for the first flakes of snow, for the first leaf to fall down, for the birds to retreat. Leaving the shrine sad and lifeless.

It made her happy. The stark white snow looked beautiful only in pictures. Only those wading through its reality would feel the cold bitterness. But she liked it, the silence that surrounded her.

Winter was when he came back.

She had waited many long years, been reincarnated through the centuries. And she had only one goal, to find him.

She had met him once again in this life. When the trees become bare and wilt away into whiteness.

Their love had been foolish, childish, and almost irrational. Their love was traitorous. He tried to find his redemption in her. She searched for the one she had truly loved.

Their love was the winter. Illogical. Non sequitur. But they called it love.

In time, their love had given birth to a daughter and then to a son. Her daughter's laughter was far away, in another time. Her son's happiness, distant from her mind.

But they were not meant to be. They couldn't be together, him and her.

He came back, just once, to glimpse his children. And then he was gone, to return with the next snowfall.

She hears the tinkling of the doorbell. It is time.

She opens the door. He has not changed, though being a shape-shifter.

"Sango."

"Naraku, welcome back."


	12. The Other Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mistress and the Concubine fall in love. SessMom X Izayoi

**The Other Woman**

She was but a child when she came to the fortress. A human girl marooned in an unknown sea, where tempestuous storms were ever so subtle.

_A human. Unacceptable. What was the Daimyo thinking?_

She knew she would never be welcomed within the closely guarded walls. She was a weak human. She was the other woman.

She wished she could walk tall, like her. She wished she was as powerful, as her. But she would be the other woman.

But she was accepted by the very one she envied. _You are not alone. I'll be there for you._

The acceptance turned to friendship, and friendship became the forbidden emotion…love.

Their bodies, souls, mind became one. And they would be together, forever.

Would fate allow them?

She asked her, "Do you love me?" There was no answer. Only the sounds of passion as their lips met in a heated kiss. There would be no answer.

One day, she decides to go away. Forever. _We shall meet again_.

The youkai woman looked at the spiralling coils of smoke, as amber fire lit up the night, devouring the castle.

_We shall not meet again, my love._

She had been too late, too late to accept her love.


	13. Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're one fucked up family. Warnings for Inucest.

**MOTHER**

 

He delved deep inside her, ad infinitum. He wanted to find himself there, somewhere deep inside her. Her amused laughter made him smile, made him feel the depths of his icy heart. A fog of lust, of passion descended in his heart and he forgot everything.

She takes him through passages unknown to him, makes him swim through a sea of love and brings him back to the darkness that never was…..

She was a masterpiece of the creator, made only for him, to bear him, to teach him to love him. The lust and dark pleasure flood his brain again and the cold, misty drops of dew fail to touch him, despite their teasing efforts. He belongs only to her, to her soul, to her heart….

They make love like insane, wild animals, then like forbidden lovers, caresses, slow, gentle and sweet.

He looks at her face, radiant but the cruel smile still graces her face, like a backstabbing lover, like the sweet taste of dead blood, like the scent of the deadly nightshade…

He craves only for her taste, for her scent, for her heart…..

She laughs her delicate, beguiling laugh. Entrancing him, ensnaring him.

"You know, Sesshoumaru, you always tried to be like your father."

She reaches close to him, and whispers seductively, "But you can never be him."

In a trice, the fog of haze and lust clears. The dream is gone. The illusion is broken.

And for the first time, his heart too.

_Mother._


	14. The Smell of Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its nice to stop and smell the flowers.

**The Smell of Roses**

Grace and Ease. Power and Skill. Perseverance and determination. These were the only words to portray her practice.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Through the day, the woman and the weapon became one, moulding a child, into an extraordinary protector. They would move as one, be as one. A lethal dance, faster than the wind, more beautiful than the geisha, stoic as the Noh mask, which speaks a thousand words in but one expression.

Never tire. Never take a break. Learn. Practice. Be perfect.

Her father would often laugh at her; tell her to take a break. But she would unfailingly touch her weapon. She was addicted to it, or rather to the power in it? It was like an unceasing lover, training her, testing her, and rewarding her. Her insane zeal of being a saviour, a heroine burned in her like a flame, and her relentless practice only fanned it.

" _Take a holiday, daughter." he said. "Learn to smell the roses. Devotion is important, but family is too. We will be gone someday; wouldn't it be nice to create memories?"_

But she never would. Her talented weapon implored her, begged her to use it. And she reveled in the power it gave her. Every demon killed, was a milestone marked, a triumph written in blood and toil.

She didn't care about anything else.

A lone woman, broken, adrift, sat near the very place where she had the memories of her childhood. The houses were shattered; the people were gone, leaving just a trail of ruinous madness. And in their midst, an infinite line of graves, stretching into nothingness. Brittle flowers lay like paltry stones on them, flowers she laid long ago.

They should have been on hers too.

She had been too late to smell the roses. Too late to take a holiday.

Who was to blame? _Mea culpa, she knew._

Bone and the smith's labour spoke to her again. She kisses it, caresses it, then flings it away.

She will never kill gain. She will finally, finally take rest.


	15. Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A child sees himself for the first time. Based on young Onigumo (Naraku).

**Mirror**

The young boy cowers in a tiny corner. He can hear the voice of the master, ruthless, and angry. He fears beatings as painful as the metals have to suffer in their crucibles as they are tamed to something that is not their destiny.

He is tremulous.

He has hardly seen the world outside; only fleeting glimpses of cyan foliage, and pink diamond that blossom in the trees, once in a blue moon. He only knows the spectra of metal, when they eat golden fire, blushing the deepest red, dancing their way through the colour of leaves, the turning a volte-face to shimmering blue.

He looks at the fragile piece in his hand, the blazing incandescence emitted by it, emblazoned in his memory. Lights skips gaily on it, giving it a dark-gold glow.

A mirror, meant for the affluent, to adorn their opulent mansions. But to him, it is a piece of his heart, crafted by his master, and lovingly shined by his own small hands. Every intricate detail beckons him, to search for his soul, and his nameless face in the bronze beauty of the mirror.

The boy gingerly wipes the coloured beauty, and dares look into its dark depths.

Suddenly, the master's slap singes his face, marking it in known colours of wrath.

As the mirror clatters to the ground, he sees a face the colour of the mirror and hair the colour of the coal used to fire the metals everyday.

For the first time, Onigumo sees himself.


	16. Bystander?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miroku is not for for quietly standing by, is he?

**Bystander?**

" My Hero!", the beautiful princess screamed as she ran into Miroku's arms.

Miroku sighed softly in his sleep, as one more dream involving pretty women swooning over him came to an end. This scenario had been played out many times in real life, partly due to Miroku's lecherous mind, and partly due to the fact that Miroku would never stand by quietly.

Miroku never backed down from a fight. He always used his Kazaana, sometimes in the best interests of others, and sometimes his own.

Especially when a damsel was in distress, Miroku would _help_ in his own words, _interfere_ in Inuyasha's and _letch_ in Sango's words. But he'd always participate, or come even to just meddle in a situation.

The forest reverberated with loud howls, and Miroku woke up with a start. He assumed that Kagome and Inuyasha had gone for another of their long midnight sojourns, which were no doubt, the source of the sounds that awoke Miroku.

But where was Sango?

Concerned, Miroku quickly got up and started searching the near vicinity.

Then he could hear a soft moaning sound coming from behind the bushes. Miroku rushed in that direction, only to find Sango taking a late-night bath in a hot spring.

Miroku quietly settled down near the bushes, and watched her pale, perfect figure bathed by moonlight.

In a few seconds, Sango would notice him, call him a pervert, and hit him so hard he'd be sent to the seventh heaven.

For now, Miroku decided he'd just like being a bystander.


	17. Avoid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miroku has been taught to deny all pleasures.

**Avoid**

Miroku is unholy (and deficient-partial-imperfect and lacking). His hands are belittled with a dangerous curse, which scalds (burnscalds) him again and again. He is-

Not strong nor faithful nor happy (and so half-baked).

His soul is not merged with the dogmas of monks and the Buddha (he is a cruel, perfunctory swindler, isn't he?). Avoid temptation. The taught him. And women. And drink that is evil (and sour and bitter) and dirty.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. But the tenets are not for him (for such an incorrigible liar like he is).

Prohibit. Prohibit. Prohibit. Every night, there is a new woman in his empty soul, (so inopportune) and two in his bed. The bed is not alive, but Miroku sleeps to feel some warmth, to defy the rules that religion taught him.

Repent. Repent. Repent. He blames his silly, fickle mind (what else can it be?) for all the madness, the temptation, and for the adventure (-oh, she is a flighty temptress) and realizes that he will avoid everything now.

Life in black-and –white, still carrying his cursed hand, and cold beads, and forgetting pleasure in an incarcerated moment. Avoid. Remember.

And forget. And forget the past, and start the future anew. (Evergreen, virgin, immature future).

With her.


	18. His Second Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsusaiga is not the only inanimate object Inuyasha loves. Crack!

**His Second Love**

There was so much pain written across her scarred face. The agony of staying silent, of being imbued without hate, of being alive.

She had written her story in blood, in tears and in him.

Inuyasha loved her, not for the detriment she suffered, but for the fact that she had taken him on tumultuous journeys and amazing worlds.

And that she had helped him find and redeem his soul. And because she had helped him find his love.

No, it could never be Kikyou, she was his first love.

He would never abandon her; she would be etched in timeless memories.

As he touched her marred face, and whispered soothing words into her lips, he heard an angry shout.

" INUYASHA! I AM YOUR GIRLFRIEND! NOT THE DAMN WELL!"


	19. Ponder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Ghost of a touch.

**Ponder**

Sango wondered when she had fallen in love with Miroku.

And she kept wondering. It may have been a single moment, or may have taken a multitude of years. She loved his smile, their silly fights, everything.

And then they fell in love, so beautifully, unfloundering, unflinching in their declarations. His hands, over her heart, promising her the world, and children.

Sango thought about the babies she held in her arms, so strong and healthy, so pure and lively. She played with them, laughed with them, and danced with them. As a mother should.

Sango wanted to know about the friends she made, the hanyou and his miko, who lived across the well, once an infinite barrier between two worlds, now one she can tread through easily.

Sango touches Miroku. Or rather, wants to touch him, as she moves her hand across his face. So old, so careworn, with worry and pain.

She leaves him then, and she cannot even cry.

For, ghosts have no heart, no touch, but only memories to ponder upon.


	20. A Kind of Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you wondered how the stars shine in the sky? A tale of two sisters. Pre-canon Kikyou and Kaede.

**A Kind of Magic**

The little girl watched the inky night sky, fascinated by the gentle beauty of the twinkling stars.

"One and two, and …..Oh no! I lost count again!" the little girl sighed.

"Counting the stars again?" her mother asked, smiling.

"Yes! I can't count them now, but when I grow up, I will."

"Even grown-ups haven't counted them, dear. There are too many."

"But why are there so many?"

The mother drew the little girl closer and cuddled her. "Because God made them like that. See, at night, Mother Earth feels sad because it's so dark, so God gifted her with the lovely stars, so that she can smile at night too. And if Mother Earth smiles, so will the people, children, trees, and animals."

"Really, even Shiro will smile?"

"Yes, he'll smile too, even if he's a dog."

"But how do the stars shine?"

"The stars are beautiful angels, and as they smile and flap their wings, the stars shine and twinkle."

The child suddenly perked up and pointed at the sky. "Mommy, look! A star shot across the sky!"

"Quick! Make a wish on it."

"Why?"

"Because whatever you wish for, the stars will grant you. They have special powers."

"Wow! Just like magic."

"Yes, dear. The stars are magical, just like you."

"Me?"

"God sent me a wonderful, little, magical piece of himself to me. He sent you."

The little girl giggled. She bore the most radiant smile on her face.

"Come here, see, that's Genji and Heike Boshi. And that one is the Mitsu Boshi, the three stars shining together."

"Those two? How are they all together? By magic?"

"Yes, by a special kind of magic. Let me tell you the story…."

**XXXXXXXX**

**Two years later….**

"Mama, let me help you." an eager Kikyou rushed to her mother's side to take the cloth bundle.

"Thanks, dear. You have been such a help."

"I've swept the house and tried to remove the dust from the futon, but it was too big."

"Really, Kikyou-chan, you don't have to do all that. I'll ask someone to help me."

"But I want to keep the house nice and clean for the baby."

"The baby will take quite some time to come. Maybe six more moons."

"But that's so long! I can't wait! Can't you have it now?"

"No. Your little brother or sister is still growing. It grow some more, and then it'll be here. Ouch!" Her face suddenly blanched.

"What happened, mama?" Kikyou was alarmed.

Her mother quickly drew her head close to her swollen belly. " Shh! Listen, the baby's kicking."

"I can also hear something like a heartbeat." The look of wonder and amazement on Kikyou's face was akin to a child's face when they discover a tiny flower or a pretty stone. "When the baby is born, I'll tell it about this."

"Yes, you will, darling."

"Mama, do you hear the heartbeat too?"

"All the time, both in my mind and in my heart."

"Huh?"

"You know what the most magical thing in the world is? To have a life growing within you. To hear the child's heartbeat in your heart, to feel the child within yourself."

"Did you hear me too?"

"What do you think? I always did. Uhh, it's kicking again!"

Kikyou put her head near her mother's womb and listened carefully.

"Yes, Mama. It's just magic."

**XXXXXXX**

**Three years later…..**

"Have you thought about anything for her yet?" the man asked while sitting down to lunch. He was looking at the twelve-year old girl, romping in the green grass with a toddler. The toddler was eagerly clapping as her sister entertained her.

"No. The priest says he has sensed remarkable powers. She must be sent to train." his wife replied.

"People are beginning to get suspicious. They may think she's been possessed."

"She's got spiritual powers." the woman snapped back.

"Whatever. What does she think about it?"

"She thinks she can do some magic tricks. She doesn't understand the full consequences yet."

"Talk to her about it. And start looking for a temple where they train mikos. We should send her away."

Later that night,

Kikyou laid a kiss on the sleeping toddler's forehead. The harsh, cold wind blew, heralding the approach of winter.

Her mother came and quietly covered her with a sheet. "You'll catch a cold. Keep yourself warm, child."

"I was just watching Kaede. She finally fell asleep. I was showing her a few tricks."

"Tricks?"

"Yes, like showing her the pink sparks which come from my hand."

Her mother's face bore a tired look. "Someday, you shall know your true powers."

"Powers? I can do a bit of magic, that's all."

"No, Kikyou. This may be difficult for you to believe, but you have special abilities. You have spiritual powers, and you can use them to heal people and kill demons."

"Kill demons? That can't be!"

"I told you that you had magic in you, my darling. You have the power to protect. And you have to hone your skills, so I'll probably have to send you to train."

Kikyou was shell-shocked. She? A miko? There was obviously some mistake. And she was going to be sent away, from her mother, father, and little Kaede….

"No mother, don't make me go away! I won't do any more magic! Please!" Kikyou ran into her mother's arms, sobbing hysterically.

"I'm sending you to become stronger, Kikyou. I love you."

"I hate magic! I hate having powers!"

"Don't say that. Your magic makes you special. Magic is beautiful, but it comes with a burden. Even if you go away, I can hear you. You see, mothers can do magic too."

The child wiped her tears and looked at her mother and saw a tear leak out of her eye too. Then they embraced, strengthening the bond between them.

"I love you too, mama."

"There's magic in our hearts, dear, and that's why we love each other."

_And the magic would last forever…._

**XXXXXXXXX**

**After a few months…..**

"Run! They are coming!" shouted the hapless shepherd. "Demons, big and small, coming to devour us all!"

The villagers began running helter-skelter. Some took refuge in the shrine. Others locked themselves in, and uttered prayers, or chanted sacred mantras to drive the evil away.

"Kikyou, take Kaede and run!"

"Mother, you'll be left alone!" screamed Kikyou. "Father's not here!"

She tried to help her pregnant mother, who couldn't move easily.

"I cannot run, child. I will only slow you down."

"Mama…" Kaede bawled.

The laughter of the demons and the screams of the dying people could be heard. The demons were ravaging the town, killing humans and razing homes.

"Please, Kikyou! Promise me you'll protect your sister!"

Kikyou held Kaede tightly, and she ran out, tears streaming down her innocent face.

She ran a good distance, and turned to look back. The house lay in flames. There were shrieks from inside. And then, quiet. Had she been a moment too late…

Screams and sounds of death filled Kikyou's ears. A river of blood gushed in front of her, and she could bear no more.

A burst of pink-white light exploded from her, moving like a wave amidst the ghastly scene. The demons were caught in it, and in mere seconds became nothing but ashes and dust.

The roar of the wind filled Kikyou's ears as she fell to the ground on her knees, still holding Kaede. She had protected her sister. She had protected her people. She had kept her promise.

Was it divine intervention? Or just some kind of magic?

But one word resonated in her heart.

" _Mother…"_

She would never come back. And neither would Kikyou.

**XXXXXXXX**

**After five years …**

"Kaede, it's late now. Come on, get inside."

The eight-year old waved her friends goodbye, and ran into the simple hut. Kikyou laid the dinner on the floor.

"Look, I made your favourite fish for you today. So no complaining, eat it like a good girl."

"Thank you." Kaede grinned. "It's nice to have tasty food after playing all day."

Kikyou watched her sister relish the food, remembering how her own mother would look after her.

"Kikyou, we saw some samurai today. They looked so….powerful."

"They have to be strong and look powerful too."

"But why do we praise them, Kikyou? They kill people, don't they? Killing people is bad!"

Kikyou smiled. "My sister is growing up. The world is full of good people and bad people. To protect the ones we love, we sometimes have to kill the evil ones. The samurai do that. We must maintain the balance of energy and karma in the universe. That's why we're here. To lead the people onto the Path of Righteousness, and destroy evil. To maintain the balance."

"Well, that's okay, then. But I still think that bad people are not really bad. Something might have happened to them, and it makes them so."

Kaede had finished her meal in the meantime, and rose to say a prayer before bidding good night to her sister. She looked out of the window, into the sky.

"So many stars and they all look so beautiful."

Kikyou cuddled her, and pointed up at the heavens. "Among all these pretty stars, one is our mother. She's shining up there."

Kaede waved at the stars. "Do you think she's listening to us?"

"Yes, dear. She listens to us all the time. And she's enjoying herself in the sky."

Suddenly Kikyou spotted two very special stars. "And see, there are Genji and Heike Boshi. Those two are very famous."

"How do the stars shine, Kikyou?"

The words touched a chord in her heart as she reminisced about a long time ago. Kikyou's voice choked with emotion, but she held steady.

" _It's a kind of magic….._

**_Finis_ **


	21. Born of a Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha has a lot to live up to in his life.

**Born of a Legend**

The soft blackness of the dusk was giving way to a harsher, darker variety of blue-black. The only light was offered by the moon, standing sentinel over the sleeping world. It changed colours, shifting from pale melting gold to a shining silver. The moon swept her benevolent gaze over her earthly children, resting finally on a group of resting travellers. A very tired group, as was evident from their loud snores. The moon rays first fell on a large ball of cream fur, with a tiny speck of red and blue on it. They proceeded to light up the faces of two celestial maidens of incomparable beauty and moved across a bracelet of green beads, making them glow like emeralds.

Finally, silver met silver and then, a piercing, glowing, burning golden eye cracked open.

A figure, which seemed to be a mixture of sunshine and moonshine softly dropped down from a tree. He sniffed to check if his pack mates were safe, especially a doe-eyed young girl whose heart belonged to him. Seeing the coast to be clear, he made his way to a clearing nearby.

Inuyasha had not been able to sleep, for he was deep in thought and he'd always think of the same person.

Inuyasha pulled out the sword which rested at his hip, his faithful Tetsusaiga.

The rusty sword transformed into a giant gleaming blade, on whose surface the moonlight fell, dancing gaily off its edge. This piece of perfection belonged to the Inu no Taishou, the greatest demon ever, a hero, a legend among legends and Inuyasha's father.

Inuyasha practiced a few quick moves with the blade, finally swinging it in a great arc against the sky and bringing it to rest against his looked at the great sword affectionately, for it was his brother. They had been born of the same person.

_They were born of a legend_.

Inuyasha slammed his fist into a nearby tree trunk, hissing angrily. He always felt angry when he thought of that one man, the man who had died to give him life. Yet he was the man whom he had always hated.

His mind went back to the past, a long, long time ago, when he had been a pup, barely older than Shippou. He remembered the nights when he would sit with his mother and she would comb his silver hair and tell him stories. Stories of the great demon that had sired him. How he had conquered huge lands, how he had saved countless people and how much he loved his little son. As the young hanyou sat in his mother's lap, smelling her sweet scent, he would look up into the stars and say, "One day ,I'll be as great as Oyaji."

His mother would smile and say, "Of course, father was a legend. I'm sure you will become one too."

However, as the years passed,Inuyasha's belief in the legend ,demons and humans alike, cursed him, flung stones at him and hurt him.

"Filthy son of a beast!"

"Child of a human whore!"

"Begone, dirty half-breed!"

He was an outcast. He did not fit in with this world. There was no place for him to go but hell.

Inuyasha would always vent his anger on one person. His father. If he was such a great demon, why did he die? Why did he leave his young mate and pup?Why?Why?Why?

Inuyasha had been filled with a bitter hatred against him. His honourable father. The legend. The man who had abandoned his hanyou child, so that the world could laugh at him.

Inuyasha knew that he would always be a mixture, a freak of nature, born of the carnal follies of a young hime and the "Honourable"Inu no eyes glowed red and fisted his hands so tightly that his claws drew blood. Wiping his bloodied hands on the fire-red hakama, he began his practice spite of all this anger,he wondered why his father had left this enchanted blade to him. This terrible blade of utter destruction. Maybe it was just a whim, he thought.

_Or maybe he wanted to protect you_.

As Inuyasha continued his warrior-like movements, a strange peace began to fill him. His movements grew smoother, sharper like a true, well- honed swordsman rather than a rough, uncouth novice. It was as if somebody or something was guiding him, letting his instincts and spirit to flow into the blade and become one with it. This went on for sometime, till the moonlight began to wane and the soft grey of dawn set in.

Inuyasha felt the calmness recede. He looked around everywhere, searching for that invisible ,he saw a soft dimly lighted figure walking away from him, clothed in the last few figure turned around. Gold met gold. It smiled and walked away, fading into the dawn.

_"Oyaji",Inuyasha whispered_.

Inuyasha had finally seen the legend. The anger inside began to give way to calm.

_He was born of a legend. And he too would become a legend_.


	22. Snow-White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A child watches. A heart dies. And blood spills. Souta-centric.

**SNOW-WHITE**

The young boy skipped home from school,with a big smile on his face. It was the last day of school and now were to have a two-week was Christmas,making it even more today ,they had progessed a lot in their English class,learning the fairytale,'Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves'.Souta had asked why the princess was called teacher said,

_"Because she had skin as white as snow and lips the colour of blood_."

Souta arrived at the shrine and started rushing up the glanced at the frost-laden trees and fondly remembered the time when his sister and he would bring in a little christmas tree and gaily  
decorate it with was always rushing off to the past to help people. Though Souta did miss her a lot,he'd never admit ,he wished she was home for Christmas.

He entered the threshold,expecting to see Ojji-san in the shrine and Mama in the kitchen, cooking a hot ,delicious meal for what he saw chilled him to the bone,and it was not from the cold.  
His mother and grandfather lay sprawled unconscious there was blood. _Blood_.

**Blood** staining the pristine white snow.

Souta looked up and the sight he saw nearly stopped his breath. A vision in red and silver stood before him.A dark,red-eyed demon gripped his sister's throat ,his clothes covered with her blood.  
In his hand,he held a pale pink jewel,slowly being demon raised his claws and drove them through Kagome's writhing fell,with a silent scream,to the demon _laughed_ cruelly and licked his claws of her blood. Gripping the jewel tightly,he bounded to the well-house and jumped in.

Souta was numb,paralysed with his sister's blood pooled in the snow,he could think of only a single thing,

**_"Skin as white as snow and lips the colour of blood..."_ ** **_  
_ ** **_  
_ **   
**20 YEARS LATER**

A couple sat inside the old shrine home,savouring the last bits of their romantic candlelight dinner."I want to show you something special",said the young young woman gave him her hand and followed him as he led her out into the freezing cold. He gently embraced leant up for a kiss, only to find a cold,cruel blade driven through her heart.

Within seconds,she was man calmly picked the body up,and proceeded to the well -house. He dumped the body into the old ,he noted that there were too many bodies. He would have to clear them stepped outside,watching the fresh trail of blood on the licked his fingers of the woman's blood,enjoying the taste.

_**"Like a necklace of blood-red rubies on a snow-white neck..."** _

The young man walked to a grave,simply marked by a bowed in front of it, offering a prayer.

He walked away,saying,

" _Merry christmas,Kagome nee-chan..."_


End file.
